Electrosurgical loops have been used most extensively in the prior art by urologists who use wire loops as components of electrosurgical resectoscopes to resect prostatic or bladder tumors endoscopically. Electrosurgical loops have also been employed through the use of the hysteroscope to resect leiomyomas, polyps, and in some cases the endometrium in patients who suffer from intractable bleeding disorders within the uterus.
Recently through the use of larger electrode loops, it has been demonstrated that it is possible to remove the transformation zones of the cervix affected with cervical intraepithelial neoplasis. Concerns that thermal damage secondary to electrosurgical technique would make the removed tissue difficult to evaluate from a histopathological perspective have been obviated by the development of new electrosurgical generators. The currents developed by these new generators combined with improvements in the design of the wire which comprises the loop, permit cervical specimens to be removed with minimal thermal damage and in many instances the thermal damage is less than that associated with CO.sub.2 laser excision. The present state of the art, however, does not permit the use of electrosurgical loops during laparoscopic surgery within the peritoneal cavity. Currently available loop electrodes are inappropriate for laparoscopic surgery in that the fixed design of the electrodes make them impossible to use through the relatively small diameter laparoscopic ancillary cannulas. The use of electrosurgical loops, however, within the peritoneal cavity and under laparoscopic guidance would allow in many cases relatively simple and easy removal of endometriosis from a number of sites including the ovaries, the uterosacral ligament, the cul-de-sac and the pelvic sidewalls. The use of electrosurgical loop instrumentation presents enhanced enconomic benefits because the capital costs of electrosurgical loop instrumentation would be far less than that required for CO.sub.2 or Nd-YAG laser-based procedures; additional economical benefits would also be achieved through low maintenance of the equipment and reduced training time of staff technicians and surgeons.